Purchasing a cpap machine

[longjohn13]

I am wondering if anyone has purchased their machine online?
I have been to the local suppliers and find that the prices of the same machine on line is
half the price compared to local dealers. It also seems like a cartel locally where they
have decided to fix the price!

Any advice to buying online?

From what I can tell, I don't need anyone to set up the machine for me.
Looks like they can be set up by myself. Any hints?

Thanks for any help!

[Julie]

Cpap.com sponsors this forum and they're terrific - very inexpensive and great variety... and most of us buy online (from whichever dealer we choose, not just them).

[zonker]

I am wondering if anyone has purchased their machine online?
I have been to the local suppliers and find that the prices of the same machine on line is
half the price compared to local dealers. It also seems like a cartel locally where they
have decided to fix the price!

Any advice to buying online?

From what I can tell, I don't need anyone to set up the machine for me.
Looks like they can be set up by myself. Any hints?

Thanks for any help!

welcome to the zoo!

yes, as julie has stated, lot's of us here buy online. and like her, i recommend www.cpap.com. plenty of machines with plenty of reviews.

you will, of course, need a prescription.

good luck!

[Stom]

Yes, I bought my ResMed online. It was faster and easier than going through a horrible DME like Apria. In a perfect world buying local would mean great service and instant, easy pick up at a location nearby, but in the world of DMEs that often isn't the case. Yelp reviews for local DMEs in my area are not pretty.

Buying on-line from an authorized dealer means you'll get a valid warranty. But there often is no price advantage between authorized dealers because of price fixing contracts the manufacturers force on dealers, who may not sell below the minimum advertised price, though under certain contracts they can throw in bonuses like free shipping, and sometimes accessories. So good service is going to play a key role in buying on-line.

You can buy new machines on-line from other companies who may not be authorized dealers, but since warranty repairs have to go through the original authorized dealer, not direct to ResMed, you risk not being able to use the warranty, though there may be some work arounds. The dealer I bought from promised to honor the warranty themselves (that is, they can't send it to ResMed). Only time will tell if that was a very short sighted saving of money upfront on my part. The dealer may not be in business tomorrow, let alone for the whole 2 years the warranty would normally be covered. (Of course, that's true of even authorized dealers, and I'm not sure of ResMed's warranty policies in the case of an authorized dealer going out of business.)

I've bought some things from the site sponsor. The service has been reliable and the phone ordering was easy, as was the on-line ordering. The "return insurance" policies are great **when available** on certain clearly marked products. Otherwise, the return policy is not especially good. Customer pays shipping both ways, plus a 15% restocking fee, and **unopened** items only, even if they aren't "medical" per se. Opening a sealed plastic bag with a fleece hose cover makes it un-returnable under the published return policy, but I've not tried to return anything yet, so I don't know how strict they are about it.

[D.H.]

To the OP:

It's not clear whether this is a first-time CPAP or a replacement machine.

My advice would be very different depending upon what the answer is.

[Stom]

To the OP:

It's not clear whether this is a first-time CPAP or a replacement machine.

My advice would be very different depending upon what the answer is.

How so? I think it depends on whether there is any local DME of a stellar reputation, and Yelp tells me no such animal exists where I live.

My case is probably not typical because I have Kaiser but no DME coverage. Kaiser introduces patients to CPAP in classes of up to 12 people and fits masks - things typically done by a DME. So I didn't really need a local DME since I already had a mask and an in-person introduction to the machine.

But, increasingly, DME's like Apria don't allow their staff to give one-on-one time to clients. They hand the client an instructional DVD or some such and kick them out the door. So in many, perhaps most, cases I don't see much of an advantage in buying local even for a first CPAP machine. Also, many DMEs like Apria will try to auto-replenish on the Medicare schedule, regardless of whether a client wants auto-replenish or whether insurance covers it. Apria will just bill the difference to the client's credit card. I'd rather give the site sponsor my credit card than Apria.

[ChicagoGranny]

Purchasing a cpap machine

What is the exact model you wish to purchase? Do you want insurance to pay for it, or is it a self-pay?

Do you have a copy of your prescription and a copy of the summary (1 or 2 pages) of your sleep study? (You should keep copies for your record.) What does the script specify?

Looks like they can be set up by myself.

Yup. Easy. Forum members can help.

[longjohn13]

I was looking at the philips dreamstation auto.
My prescription says to set the machine at 13.
I will have to buy it myself.
I had a cpap machine years ago when they were as big as tractors and just as loud.
What amazes me is the price differential between local and online. Online is just about
1/3 the price of local for the same machine.
Thanks for the responses. I am finding them very helpful!

[palerider]

I am wondering if anyone has purchased their machine online?
I have been to the local suppliers and find that the prices of the same machine on line is
half the price compared to local dealers. It also seems like a cartel locally where they
have decided to fix the price!

I'd call those prices"broken"

[ChicagoGranny]

I was looking at the philips dreamstation auto.

I will have to buy it myself.

I recommend the ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier - https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... t-humidair

Since you are self-pay, a clean, low-hours, used machine might be a good choice. (I have switched to buying used machines for my personal use.) Forum members can help you find one.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What amazes me is the price differential between local and online. Online is just about
1/3 the price of local for the same machine.

The local prices you are seeing are MSRP. They sell very few at these prices. Most people buying locally use insurance. The insurance company has a contract price that is much lower than MSRP.

[Stom]

The local prices you are seeing are MSRP. They sell very few at these prices. Most people buying locally use insurance. The insurance company has a contract price that is much lower than MSRP.

Does the DME coverage make people pay their co-pay based on the MSRP, but the insurance company pays based on the discounted price? Could someone paying a 30% co-pay actually wind up paying more than the insurance company does for their portion?

(I don't have DME coverage, so this is something I've not dealt with directly.)

[jimc2]

I was looking at the philips dreamstation auto.
My prescription says to set the machine at 13.
I will have to buy it myself.
I had a cpap machine years ago when they were as big as tractors and just as loud.
What amazes me is the price differential between local and online. Online is just about
1/3 the price of local for the same machine.
Thanks for the responses. I am finding them very helpful!

I bought mine a couple weeks ago at cpap.com. Was $653 and change with the coupon code Fall18 I think still valid. I didn't opt for the heated hose nor a mask. Just the machine and water tank. It claimed over night shipping but I guess when I picked the water tank it killed that. Even though everything came in the same box all pre-assembled. The very end of the model # wasn't exactly what I ordered (I ordered the machine and tank separately as they weren't offering it together anymore for some reason). But the part # I got was for the machine with tank. The machine has full data and a SD card, one set of filters, 15mm hose and a carrying case.

Other then the weirdness with the shipping/ordering I had no issues. I ordered on a Monday and got it on a Thursday. TX to NY.

I got the clinical manuals for both the old (System One 60 series) and new machine and went through the settings myself. Really not a big deal. I think cpap.com will actually set the pressure to whatever the prescription says. Mine was just 4-20 which is what the machine was set to.

If you have your prescription in hand and think you might order the machine or parts there I would probably upload it now. Takes a few days IRC for them to approve it and put it on your account.

[D.H.]

To the OP:

It's not clear whether this is a first-time CPAP or a replacement machine.

My advice would be very different depending upon what the answer is.

How so? I think it depends on whether there is any local DME of a stellar reputation, and Yelp tells me no such animal exists where I live.

. . .

If it was a replacement machine, I would suggest getting the same brand if he was satisfied. Also, I would advise a first time user to pay close attention to the selection of a mask.

Subsequent to this posting, the OP replied that he had a machine many years ago, but has not used CPAP recently.

Therefore, I think that the "new user" advice is what applies.

That is, pay careful attention to the mask. While the machine is much more expensive, it's the mask with which you directly make contact.

Also, I suggest that you get the DreamStation Auto CPAP Machine, since you're getting the Dreamstation (the one I have). While this costs a bit more, I found that I sometimes need more pressure for brief periods throughout the night. I've got a prescription of 13.5, but I set the max to 20. It seldom goes above 15, but when it does, it allows a more comfortable sleep.

[ChicagoGranny]

since you're getting the Dreamstation

He never said he was getting a Dreamstation only that he was looking at it. He may not be aware that the ResMed is a better machine.

[ChicagoGranny]

I think cpap.com will actually set the pressure to whatever the prescription says. Mine was just 4-20 which is what the machine was set to.

4-20 is the factory default setting. It's not an optimal pressure for most people. You might want to get some help here checking it and tweaking if necessary.